But unfortunately, that 80 percent, which frankly is still pretty bad, is even worse in many states. In a state by state comparison, it appears that the biggest struggles are in states like Wyoming and Louisiana, where women make only 65 and 67 cents for every dollar a man earns, likely due to the large amount of the workforce being engaged with more “male-centric” heavy-labor careers that have been unfriendly to women in the past.

On the other hand, in D.C. we have almost reached parity, with women making almost 97% of what their male counterparts make. The surprising side of this is the large gap between the most equal and the second most equal (California), where woman are down to making only 88.7 cents.

As a whole, the northeast region does fairly well pay-wise, with a majority of the state coming in at or above the average for women’s pay, while the mountain region is nearly schitophrenic in its changes from state to state.

Love This? Never Miss Another Story.

Thanks for subscribing!

GREAT STORY, RIGHT?

Share it with your friends

48 comments

I see the gender wage gap figures thrown around alot, but what do they actually mean? Is it for the exact same hours doing the exact same job, or is it just an average of all women and all men? If its the latter, I don't think sexism has anything to do with it. Dangerous jobs such as mining and construction and police work pay more than your average non-degree requiring job, and are usually filled with males. Its just what they are more attracted to, sexism has nothing to do with it.

In my opinion women should be earning more than men. Women now earn 60% of the college degrees every year, and that number is increasing. IMO, women are smarter, have a stronger work ethic, and overall more dependable to get the job done right. Plus, they can multi-task better than men can. So, with that said, women really should be earning more than men in today's world. It just makes sense.

Because I do not lie in the US, I could not vote of course.
I must say I still get hot under the collar, reading that women are still paid less than men for the same job.
I hope more women stand up for the good of their own gender till the gap has been wiped out!

It is 2010. Women should be doing so much better than this. At almost 64, I do not expect to see parity any more in my lifetime. Given that women have had the vote for almost 100 years, I think these statistics are very disheartening. Sometimes, I have to wonder how much we did accomplish during the women's movement during the 70's.

It is up to the younger generation of women, like my dear friend, Shannon, who have the intelligence and determination to carry on the cause for the advancement of women, until true equality is achieved. Make us proud, Ladies.

Although it is a tough economy, my question stands as "Are you not worth as much as your male counterpart?" If you have that worth, look for a higher pay elsewhere. Or, have you even asked for more pay? Not ever employer is going to automatically give you a raise, you may have to ask for it. If you are that valuable, they will not want to miss you and others will want to hire you away. It isn't necessarily a given that because you work there a length of time you should be given more. You are given more pay because you are worth more. Free enterprise is what makes this work. Find your worth!!!

Wisconsin is one of the better states, we get paid $0.81 per men's $1.00 - http://www.wqow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12401421

It's even in my home care company. I've been there almost 7 years. My brother in law has been there for about 4 or 5. Even though he started at the same wage, he makes about a dollar more than I do, even though I've been there longer.

And this is surprising?
We used to have a joke when I was young: Women have to work twice as hard to be thought half as good as men. Luckily, that's not difficult.
Now, 40 years later, it still works. Sad, sad, sad.